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Charlie Lentz | all galleries >> Galleries >> Birds in Maryland > Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) - Actually a Forster's Tern
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Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) - Actually a Forster's Tern

I have left this photo in the gallery to highlight how easily it can be to misidentify a bird specie. As noted in the comment section by a visitor, this is most likely a Forster's Tern in breeding plumage. The most telling trait is that the upperwings are pure white, without the darker primary wedge of the Common.


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Hugh 02-Dec-2012 11:21
It's nice to know I'm not the only one who ever got an ID wrong.
Guest 03-Feb-2011 05:00
Excellent shot of a breeding-plumage Forster's tern
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